Kozhikode: Terming the third front as a "mirage" and a failed experiment, senior BJP leader M Venkaiah Naidu on Friday said the country cannot afford such ventures.

"The third front is a tried and failed experiment... It`s like a mirage," he told a meet-the-press programme here.

The third front, including the Left, cannot absolve themselves for the "omissions and commissions" scams and scandals of UPA, he said.

Accusing the UPA of betraying the people, he said there was crisis in every sector. "The atrocities on women are on the rise, farmers are committing suicides and 400 projects worth Rs 17.86 lakh crore are pending at the cabinet committee," he charged.
Lashing out at A K Antony for his criticism of Modi, Naidu alleged, "Antony was the worst ever Defence Minister the country ever had. Undoubedly Antony is clean and a gentleman even now. But clean without doing anything. Antony was a total failure in the last ten years," he charged.

He claimed that there was an upswing in favour of the BJP southern states and exuded optimism of the party opening its account in Kerala.

BJP was also expecting good result from Andhra and Tamil Nadu, he said.